In adjusting the skin color with the conventional foundation, iron oxide (ferrous oxide) is used. In the case of a thick skin color foundation from wheaten to thick wheaten color or bronze color, a large quantity of iron oxide is used. Brightness or chroma of inorganic pigments, such as red iron oxide or other iron oxides, is intrinsically low. On the other hand, skin color dimness is partially ascribable to shortage in reflected red or yellow light. If a large quantity of iron oxide is used for such skin, there has been found no solution for combating dimness of the skin, such that, if such foundation is applied to the skin, the result has been merely a state of glossless and drab finish.
For preventing skin irregularities, such as pores or small wrinkles, various powders have been proposed by producers of component materials and cosmetics. Examples of such powders include powders with the surface of which fine particles have been deposited, powders having the surface coated with a polymer or an oxide, spherically-shaped organic or inorganic powders, or spherically-shaped powders prepared in the form of multi-layered films, such as silica-titanium oxide-silica films. In order to hide these irregularities, such a method has commonly been used to enhance diffusion characteristics of light on the powder surface. Such method hides color irregularities or surface irregularities to achieve a matted feeling as the texture. However, in this case, powdery finish becomes outstanding to detract from the feeling of unity with the skin such that the feeling of transparence inherent to the skin tends to be lost.
In order to afford gloss, the routine recipe has been to admix pearl pigment with a silver interference color for titanium oxide with a geometrical thickness ranging between 20 to 40 μm. If this pearl pigment is used for the thick skin color from wheaten to thick wheaten color or bronze color, there is produced texture different from the appearance color with the result that the unwholesome finishing feeling is produced. If the pearl pigment is admixed in a necessary quantity to the cosmetics in order to afford gloss to the skin, to coat the skin surface irregularities or pores with the pearl pigment, there is produced penumbra between the skin surface irregularities or the shaded portions of the pores and the surface gloss of the pearl pigment, with the result that the pores or small wrinkles become more visible to detract from the intrinsic makeup effects. Moreover, the pearl pigment is unusually strong in its glaring feeling, due to the lustrous appearance proper to the pearl, thus detracting from the finishing feeling.
In JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-9-20609, there is proposed such cosmetics in which the outer coating structure of an inorganic metal hydroxide on a clay mineral is one of the following (A), (B), (C) and (D):    (A) a complex material in which a coating structure of the inorganic metal hydroxide coating the surface of the clay mineral forms a honeycomb-like structure on a film formed by ultra-small-sized particles (with the mean particle size ranging between 50 to 250 Å;    (B) a complex material in which the coating structure of the inorganic metal hydroxide coating the surface of the clay mineral is formed by a film of ultra-small-sized particles (with the mean particle size ranging between 50 to 250 Å;    (C) a complex material in which a coating structure of the inorganic metal hydroxide coating the surface of the clay mineral is a hybrid structure made up by a film formed by ultra-fine particles with a mean particle size of 50 to 250 Å and a honeycomb-like structure provided thereon; and    (D) a complex material having a structure in which particles with a mean particle size of 0.08 to 0.8 μm are embedded in a coating structure of an inorganic metal hydroxide film of ultra-fine particles, with a mean particle size of 50 to 250 Å, coating the surface of the clay mineral.
If the outermost layer of the coating powders has the honeycomb structure, the ratio of adhesion is satisfactory, because of its ability to entangle with the irregular surface of the skin due to such structure. However, if this honeycomb structure is used in an amount not less than 15 weight % in the cosmetics, the feeling of use, as an essential requirement for cosmetics, is appreciably lowered, while “powdery finish” occurs so that the intrinsic transparency of the skin is lost.
Consequently, there is a demand for such powders which, while having a correcting effect of the troubled morphology of the skin, targeted by the present invention, exhibit natural gloss and color tone and are free from the impression of dimness, and which, while giving the “elasticity” in the cosmetic film, are able to maintain the transparency.